VOL. IV, No. 7 


MARCH, 1921 


University of North Carolina 
Extension Leaflet 

A STUDY COURSE IN MODERN 
DRAMA 

PROGRAM FOR WOMEN’S CLUBS 


THE COMMUNITY DRAMA DIVISION 
IN CO-OPERATION WITH 
THE WOMEN’S CLUBS DIVISION 



PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY 
Entered as Second Class Matter, March 14, 1918 
CHAPEL HILL, N. C. 





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THE BUREAU OF EXTENSION 

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UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA 
EXTENSION LEAFLETS 


A STUDY COURSE IN MODERN DRAMA 

PROGRAM FOR WOMEN’S CLUBS 

By ELIZABETH A. LAY :J. - 

Secretary of the Division of Community Drama 


WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY 


FREDERICK H. KOCH 

Professor of Dramatic Literature and in Charge of the Division of Community 
Drama in the University of North Car 




CHAPEL HILL 

PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY 
1921 




COPYRIGHT, 1921 
BY 

THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA 


OFFICERS C7 

OF 

The . Club 

President ... 

Vice-President . 

Secretary . 

Treasurer .- 

DEPARTMENT CHAIRMEN 

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. . ... . .* . C. .... ...... ... 

« * . 

• « 

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Him'*' 

















TABLE OF CONTENTS 


1. Foreword .:. 9 

2. Suggestions for the Use of the Study Course. 9 

3. First Meeting: Ibsen: The Leading Exponent of the Modern 

Theatre of Ideas . 11 

4. Second Meeting: Bjornson: A Dramatist of Social Problems. 14 

5. Third Meeting: The Realistic Drama of France: Hervieu and 

Brieux .:. 16 

6. Fourth Meeting: The Rise of Naturalism: Strindberg. 19 

7. Fifth Meeting: Naturalism in Germany: Hauptmann and Suder- 

mann Compared . 21 

8. Sixth Meeting: The Beginning of the English Stage of Today: 

Jones and Pinero . 24 

9. Seventh Meeting: Oscar Wilde: A Social Satirist... 27 

10. Eighth Meeting: George Bernard Shaw.. 29 

11. Ninth Meeting: The Independent Theatre Movement in England: 

Barker and Galsworthy . 32 

12. Tenth Meeting: Barrie and the Drama of Fantasy. 35 

13. Eleventh Meeting: Recent Romantic Drama: Maeterlinck and 

Rostand ...-. 37 

14. Twelfth Meeting: The Irish Dramatic Movement: Yeats, Lady 

Gregory and Synge . 40 

15. Thirteenth Meeting: Two American Playwrights, William 

Vaughn Moody and Percy MacKaye... 43 

16. Fourteenth Meeting: The Little Theatre Movement in America 

and the Work of Eugene O’Neill. 46 

17. Bibliography . 49 

18. Terms for the Course and Loan of Books. 59 


























A FOREWORD 


Since Nora Helmer closed the door on her Doll’s House great 
changes have come. Ibsen, the iconoclast, sounded the tocsin in 
the theatre and undertook boldly the arraignment of a decadent 
society. The Modern Drama had come to proclaim a new order. 

The New Theatre 

The new theatre became a “republic of active literature.” It 
enlisted in its rank such representative thinkers and writers as 
Tolstoy and Tchekoff; Bjornson and Strindberg; Shaw, Barrie 
and Galsworthy; Hauptmann and Sudermann; Maeterlinck; 
Brieux and Rostand; Yeats, Lady Gregory and Synge. The 
poignant message, in London, of John Galsworthy’s Justice had 
an almost instantaneous result in action. Its performance 
aroused the public conscience to such an extent that a parliament¬ 
ary investigation of British court procedure and prison conditions 
was ordered and almost immediate remedial legislation followed. 
Rostand said, “I have put my best brains into Chantecler, and the 
world awaited its premiere with bated breath. Ireland found 
a voice, and a new national literature came into being.” 

The Modern Drama has created a new audience—an audience 
not seeking amusement only, but tremendously in earnest, and 
forward looking. It has restored to the people their birthright 
in a theatre of religion and of patriotism, an institution for the 
revelation of Truth and Beauty. 

A Study of the Modern Drama 

It is hoped that this study of Modern Drama will not be 
undertaken solely for its cultural values. It should be more than 
an isolated course in literature. It should have a more vital 
influence. It should seek to interest women as leaders in the 
artistic life of their communities, in an active appreciation of 
the best plays in the theatre of today. It may do much in vivify¬ 
ing modern life toward the creation of native drama. 

As an earnest interpretation of contemporary life, a study of 
Modern Drama should lead to an understanding of the theatre, 
not simply as a place of pleasure but as an educative force in 
the community. A thoughtful consideration of such plays as 


Strife, The Gauntlet, and Mrs. Warren’s Profession will lead to 
a deeper understanding of our common social problems, while 
the plays of such romanticists as Rostand, Maeterlinck, and 
Barrie will suggest to the student a conception of the meaning of 
life as interpreted in dramatic forms on the plane of fantasy. 

The inclusion of the work of William Vaughn Moody, of 
Eugene O’Neill, and of the Little Theatres in the United States is 
significant of the aim of this course to stimulate interest in the 
making of a native literature from our own life. No community 
is too poor to play its part in the movement towards a people’s 
theatre, and a new American Drama. 

Those who have come to an understanding of the true func¬ 
tion of the theatre and to a genuine appreciation of the best 
plays can do much to cultivate right standards of taste in the 
community. The Woman’s Club, by directing public opinion 
and by actively supporting the good plays that come to the local 
theatre, may materially encourage the best travelling productions 
and so help to bring more worthy plays to the community. In 
this way the dramatic taste of the people will be guided along 
the right lines. 

Community Drama 

Dramatic literature cannot be studied to the best advantage 
from the printed page. A play must be acted to be appreciated. 
Drama is written to be performed, and only in performance are 
its dramatic values fully revealed. For this reason in each pro¬ 
gram of this Course of Study is included an illustrative scene, 
or a one-act play, to be presented by members of the Club. This 
may be done as simply as desired, without any attempt at stage 
settings and properties, and even without committing the lines. 
Thus the characters and the action are vitalized in a very effec¬ 
tive and often surprising way. More than this, however, in such 
simple experiments may be found the nucleus of an amateur dra¬ 
matic group for the production of good plays and the develop¬ 
ment of an active community theatre. An interesting program 
for public presentation may easily be made up from the one-act 
plays included in this course. This may well be followed by the 
production of full-length plays of different types at regular in¬ 
tervals throughout the year. The value of such work can hardly 
be overemphasized. It will go far toward lifting the recreation 
of the people to the plane of imaginaton by giving them a vital 


6 


appreciation of literature through drama. The dramatic im¬ 
pulse cultivated this way will naturally lead to the desire for the 
use of the materials of local tradition in the making of pageants 
and plays of the people. 

At Wilmington, a group of women, members of the North 
Carolina Sorosis, have written A Pageant of the Lower Cape 
Fear, therein conserving their heroic traditions and history in an 
effective literary and dramatic form. It is now being published 
in an attractive volume, illustrated with local prints of historic 
interest. A Pageant of the Lower Cape Fear will be staged in 
June in a natural amphitheatre on the banks of the historic 
river on the occasion of the Convention of the Women’s Clubs 
of North Carolina. Five hundred citizen players will participate 
in the production. The costumes will be home-made. Hundreds 
will have a part in the work of preparation. It is a fine com¬ 
munity accomplishment and should be an incentive for similar 
achievements elsewhere. 

Folk Drama in North Carolina 

North Carolina is rich in materials for the making of a native 
drama. This is shown by the work of The Carolina Playmakers. 
In less than three years of its existence at the University this 
group of student playwrights has demonstrated the possibilities 
for the future of a people’s theatre in our State and the creation 
of a new T Folk Drama. Such plays as Peggy, The Miser, and 
“Dod Gast Ye Both!” suggest the range and strong dramatic ap¬ 
peal of the materials to be found in the lives of those who live 
close to the soil. The Last of the Lowries, a tragedy of the 
Croatan outlaws of Robeson County, and When Witches Ride, 
a play of folk-superstition from Northampton County, illustrate 
the variety of forms which may be found in the abundant store 
of our traditions. Every community has its own heritage of 
historic incident and interesting life of the present day. 

In interpreting the contributions of The Carolina Playmakers,. 
in the American Review of Reviews for September, 1919, the 
editor concludes: “When every community has its own native 
group of plays and producers, we shall have a national American 
Theatre that will give a richly varied authentic expression of 
American life. We shall be aware—which we are only dimly at 


7 


present—of the actual pulse of the people by the expression in 
folk-plays of their coordinated minds. It is this common vision, 
this collective striving that determines nationalism and remains 
throughout all the ages, the one and only touchstone of the 
future.” 

Every community has an active part to play in the production 
of this new Folk Drama of America. The simplest efforts of a 
sincere group of amateurs has a genuine contribution to make. 
All must be playmakers in this new republic of living literature. 

Frederick H. Koch. 

Chapel Hill, April 5, 1921. 


8 


SUGGESTIONS FOR THE USE OF THE 
STUDY COURSE 


The Study Course has been divided into fourteen parts, each 
meeting to be devoted to the work of one or more writers, the 
whole course so planned that a general knowledge will be gained 
of the whole movement beginning with Ibsen. The limits of 
the course make it necessary to omit entirely the drama of Italy 
and Spain with but a passing consideration of the Russian theatre. 
The aim throughout has been to give a general idea rather than 
a detailed study of individual phases of the movement. Most 
of the dramatists are studied in chronological order according 
to their nationalities but this plan is not rigidly adhered to when 
the sweep of a general movement is discussed. Rostand, for 
instance, is considered in the same division with the Belgian 
romanticist, Maeterlinck. Certain important movements are fol¬ 
lowed throughout and the influence of one nationality upon the 
drama of another should be noticed especially. The plays have 
been selected with a view to the interests of women today and 
the problems of women are treated in many of the dramas to be 
read. A special study of the women characters will be interesting. 

Two papers are outlined under each topic, but a combination 
or an omission may be made if necessary. These papers should 
consider briefly the general background of the dramatist’s work 
and should especially notice his relation to the drama preceding. 
In this way a connected knowledge of the whole modern move¬ 
ment will be gained. For the preparation of papers it is ad¬ 
visable that a first-hand information be gained from the reading 
of as much of the playwright’s work as can be obtained. Thus 
the reader will form individual and original conceptions of 
the work instead of relying upon the criticism of others. For 
this reason only a limited number of critical references are in¬ 
cluded at the end of each division. 

One or more plays are to be discussed in each meeting. For 
convenience, questions have been arranged under the headings 
of Theme, Characters and Structure. This outline is purely 
suggestive and should not be adhered to except as it may stimu- 


9 


late discussion. The play to be discussed should be read by all 
the members of the club and the discussion led by one member 
who may apportion the parts for the scene to be read at the 
meeting. It is strongly advised that this method be followed. The 
parts for the scene may even be learned in order to obtain a 
better appreciation of the play as acted drama. In the hope that 
the club will become interested in producing, at the end of the 
course, a program of easy one-act plays, references are made 
throughout to these short pieces and a list may be found in the 
Bibliography. 

The two reference' books most useful for this course are 
Chandler’s Aspects of Modern Drama which treats the themes 
of modern plays, and Lewisohn’s The Modern Drama which gives 
a general idea of the sweep of the movement. This last mentioned 
book should be closely followed for a conception of the modern 
drama as a whole. References are also made to other books and 
to magazine articles. In the Bibliography, List I enumerates the 
books of criticism to which reference is made in the course. 


10 


A STUDY COURSE IN MODERN DRAMA 

PREPARED FOR THE WOMEN’S CLUB DIVISION 


FIRST MEETING 

Date. Place. 

Topic: Ibsen: the Leading Exponent of the Modem 
Theatre of Ideas. 

A consideration of the society in which Ibsen lived and the 
conventions against which he revolted is important to an under¬ 
standing of the revolutionary effect of his work, not only on the 
subject matter and technique of modern drama but also on the 
life and thought of his time. In the subject matter of his realistic 
plays Ibsen is a pioneer. He founded a new school of social 
drama. After him came playwrights dealing with contemporary 
problems and ideas. In technique he reformed and simplified 
what had been a mechanically constructed drama. A Doll's House 
has been selected as an example of Ibsen’s championship of indi¬ 
vidualism, his realistic portrayal of character and the new tech¬ 
nique. The conventional suppression of the wife’s individuality 
shown in this play, and her rebellion, should be viewed in the 
light of the state of society of Ibsen’s time for a true conception 
of the importance of the play in modern drama and the new view 
of woman’s place in society. 

First Paper. By. 

Subject : Ibsen’s Life and Works. 

a. Norwegian society and conventions, especially as illustrated in the drama 

of that time. 

b. Ibsen’s life and his works as expressions of a revolt against the sup¬ 

pression of the individual by these conditions. A general consider¬ 
ation of the themes of his plays and his progress from romanticist 
to realist and symbolist. 

c. The reception of Ibsen’s plays by the critics of his time. 

11 






Second Paper. By. 


Subject : Ibsen's Place in Modern Drama. 

a. The effect of Ibsen’s work on the drama of other countries gave rise 

to the new school of drama expressing new ideas and striving to 
impress them through the theatre. 

b. Ibsen’s technique transformed the “well-made play” by a representation 

of intimate domestic scenes. He simplified the conventions of the stage 
by abolishing soliloquies and asides, by perfecting dialogue and by 
the avoidance of the happy ending. Show how these changes affected 
the drama of other countries. 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject: A DOLL’S HOUSE. 

1. Theme. What is the idea of the play? Show how Ghosts is a develop¬ 

ment of the same idea under more aggravated circumstances. 

2. Characters. Discuss their truth and reality. Is Nora’s action in the 

last act justified and rendered logical by the revelation of her charac¬ 
ter in the first acts? Compare Nora with Mrs. Alving in Ghosts. 

3. Structure. Consider the exposition of the play and the intimate realistic 

portrayal of the actual happenings on the stage, as examples of 
Ibsen’s handling of technique. Consider especially the last half of 
the last act and the manner in which the action prepares for it. 
Note the ending of the play which would have formed a beginning 
for a play written according to the old technique. 

4. Read the scene between Nora and Torvald in the last act. 

References: 

Lewisohn, The Modern Drama, 1-23. 

Chandler, Aspects of Modern Drama, Chapter I, 333-334. 

Archer, Introduction to A Doll’s House (Scribner edition). 

Gosse, article on Ibsen’s life and work in The Encyclopedia Britannica, 
Eleventh Edition. 

A Doll’s House and Ghosts should be studied. 

Additional References : 

Gosse, Henrik Ibsen. 

Henderson, European Dramatists, 75-199. 

Clark, The Continental Drama of Today, 17-38. 

Archer, Play-Making, 85-111, a consideration of technique. 

Brandes, Henrik Ibsen. Bjbrnsterne Bjornson. Critical Studies. 


12 




Letters of Henrik Ibsen. 

Huneker, J., After Ibsen. Forum 39, 1907: 248-254. 

Brandes, Georg, Appreciation of Ibsen. Independent 60, 1906:1249-1252. 
Howells, William D., An Estimate of Ibsen. North American 183, 1906: 
1-14. 

Gosse, Edmund, Ibsen. Atlantic Monthly 98, 1906: 30-44. 

Huneker, J., Hated Artist and His Work. Scribners 40, 1906: 351-361. 
Matthews, Brander, Ibsen as Playzvright. Bookman 22, 1906:568-575 and 
23:18-27. 

Bjornson, Bjornsterne, Modern Nonvegian Literature. Forum 43, 1910: 
360-370. 

Archer, William, From Ibsen’s Workshop. Forum 42, 1909: 506-522. 
Bjorkman, Edwin, The Ibsen Myth. Forum 45, 1911: 565-583. 


13 


SECOND MEETING 


Date.. Place. 

Topic: Bjomson: a Dramatist of Social Problems. 

Bjornson was a leader in the political reform of his country 
and his plays are, most of them, products of his enthusiasm for 
individual rights and liberty which he finds menaced by some 
social condition of that time. His work marks a transition from 
Ibsen’s attacks on the suppression of the individual soul to that 
later school of drama of social criticism which built a play around 
a specific thesis for the purpose of arousing the spirit of reform. 
Like Ibsen, Bjornson is interested in the struggle of the individual 
but he is more concerned with the outward cause of that struggle. 
A Gauntlet should be viewed, therefore, as an example of this 
spirit of social reform manifesting itself in the treatment of a 
difficult question and also as showing Bjornson’s interest in his 
characters themselves, as emotional individuals and not as mere 
automatons of a reform pamphlet in play form. Beyond Human 
Power, a more powerful example of Bjornson’s work, has been 
selected for study and a discussion of its dramatic technique. 

First Paper. By... 

Subject : Bjornson’s Life and Works. 

a. Bjornson as a leader in the political upheaval of Norway and his interest 

in reform. 

b. A short survey of the themes of his plays as revealing his enthusiasm 

for reform. 

Second Paper. By. 

Subject-. THE GAUNTLET as a Play of Social 
Criticism. 

a. Discuss Bjornson’s treatment of this difficult subject. 

b. Compare the two different endings for this play. (See Chandler, 3SS 

and Clark, 44-47). 

c. Considered as a “thesis play”—does Bjornson give a definite solution 

to the problem? A brief survey of the handling of this problem 


14 






of sex and the use of the drama to demonstrate social laws 
in relation to women might include a comparison with plays by 
Brieux, Maternity, Damaged Goods, and The Three Daughters of M. 
Dupont. How does Bjornson’s work mark a transition from emphasis 
on the problem of the individual in society to emphasis on the 
problems of social reform? 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject : BEYOND HUMAN POWER. 

1. Theme. How is this theme more universal and of more lasting interest 

than that of The Gauntlet? 

2. Characters. Discuss the convincingness of the portrayal of Pastor Sang. 

How clearly does Bjornson differentiate the ministers in the play? 
Notice their characteristics. 

3. Structure. Compare the structure of this play with that of The Gauntlet. 

The climax is one of great tension. Show how the events of the 
play arise out of the characters themselves. How is the discussion 
of the ministers made interesting? Note how the ending illustrates 
the meaning of the title. 

4. Read in the last act, from the entrance of Bratt to the end of the play. 

References: 

Lewisohn, The Modern Drama, 23-27. 

Chandler, Aspects of Modern Drama, 333-336, 358-370, 147-149, 164-166. 
Plays, translated by Edwin Bjorkman, contains an introduction on the life 
and works of Bjornson. 

The Gauntlet and Beyond Human Power should be studied. 

Additional References : 

Clark, The Continental Drama of Today, 39-47. 

Brandes, Henrik Posen. Bjbrnstcrne Bjornson. Critical Studies. 

Bjornson, Bjornsterne, The Scandinavian Conflict. Independent 59, 1905; 
92-94. 

Modern Norwegian Literature. Forum 43, 1910: 360-370, 503-519. 
Schofield, W. H., Bjornson and Ibsen. Atlantic Monthly 81, 1898: 567-673. 
Great Patriot and Great Democrat. Nation 90, 1910: 425-426. 


15 



THIRD MEETING 


Date. Place. 

Topic: The Realistic Drama of France: Hervieu and 
Brieux. 

The “Free Theatre” of Paris introduced into France the 
dramas of Ibsen and Tolstoi and opened a means of expression 
to such writers of “thesis plays” as Hervieu and Brieux. Among 
the writers of the realistic school Hervieu was most concerned 
with the psychological effect of social conditions upon his charac¬ 
ters and the presentation of an abstract moral idea. Know Thy¬ 
self is an excellent example of his logical analysis applied to the 
problems of the relation of husband and wife. Brieux, less 
intellectual, is a reformer concerned with inveighing the many evils 
of society and thus applying a remedy. His plays, therefore, may 
be generally termed “pamphlet plays,” in that the drama is really a 
cloak for a moral and social sermon. The Red Rohe is a play in 
which he has most nearly subordinated his propaganda to the 
action of the play. 

First Paper. By. 

Subject : The Work of Hervieu. 

a. The Theatre Libre in Paris. (Lewisohn, 44-52, 100-103). 

b. The work of Hervieu, the nature of the ideas embodied in his plays as 

compared with those of Brieux. 

c. Compare Ibsen’s championship of individualism with Hervieu’s defense 

of the institution of marriage as illustrated by A Doll’s House and 
Know Thyself. 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject : KNOW THYSELF. 

1. Theme. Notice how the idea of the play is brought out through the 
revelation to the several characters of their lack of insight into 
themselves. 


16 






2. Characters. Discuss them as types. Are they also sufficiently charac¬ 

terized as to seem real people? Compare Siberan and Clarisse with 
Torvald and Nora in A Doll’s House. 

3. Structure. Show how suspense is secured by having two separate 

strands to the plot in the beginning. Has Hervieu so constructed the 
play that the final proof of his thesis seems natural and inevitable? 
Compare A Gauntlet with Know Thyself. 

4. Read the scene between Siberan and Clarisse in Act III. 

Second Paper. By. 

Subject : Brieux as a Thesis Dramatist. 

a. A brief outline of the various social problems which are the subjects of 

Brieux’s plays. A discussion of his method of driving home his 
lesson may be illustrated from Maternity, Damaged Goods and The 
Three Daughters of M. Dupont. 

b. Discuss Brieux’s achievements in making use of the drama for advocat¬ 

ing social reform. Is he justified as an artist in depicting the 
effects of the evils? Compare his work with that of Hervieu, also 
with Ibsen. 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject: THE RED ROBE. 

1. Theme. Notice the revelation of the injustice of the working of the 

law through the action of the play. The theme here is brought 
out without a recourse to long sermonizing speeches. Compare this 
with Maternity and Damaged Goods, plays in which the author 
talks through his characters. 

2. Characters. Notice the character portrayal which brings out the im¬ 

pression of the pettiness of the machinery of justice. Contrast 
Vagret with Mouzon. Discuss the dramatic effectiveness of the 
character of Yanetta. Is her portrayal clear and convincing? 

3. Structure. Show how the scenes depicting the struggle for advance¬ 

ment among the lawyers in Act I and Act III are woven into the 
plot and portray in action the evil which the play assails. This sub¬ 
ject is better suited to presentation on the stage than such plays as 
Maternity where the characters are merely spokesmen for the author 
in his arraignment of social abuses. Compare the dialogue of The 
Red Robe and Damaged Goods. Note the ending of The Red Robe 
and its dramatic effectiveness. 

4. Read the scene between Vagret and his wife at the end of Act III 

and the scene between Mouzon and Yanetta at the end of the play. 


17 




References: 

Lewisohn, The Modern Drama, 44-52, 100-103, 70-89. 

Chandler, Aspects of Modern Drama, 171-179, 192-209, 333-344. 

Know Thyself and The Red Robe should be studied. 

Maternity, Damaged Goods and The Three Daughters of M. Dupont 
should be read. 

Additional References : 

Clark, The Continental Drama of Today, 150-164. 

Archer, Playmaking, 230-237. 

Shaw, Preface to Three Plays by Bricux. 

Scott, Temple, Brieux. Forum 47, 1912. 

Baker, George P., Plays of Bricux. Atlantic Monthly 90, 1902: 79-86. 
Ogden, Phillip, The Drama of Paul Hervieu. Sewanee Review 1910: 
208-222. 


18 


FOURTH MEETING 


i 

Date. Place. 

Topic: The Rise of Naturalism: Strindberg. 

The work of Strindberg reveals naturalism in its most sen¬ 
sational form. The later school of naturalists have striven to 
present an exact photographic view of life in all its common¬ 
place details and, in so doing, often fail in interest and dramatic 
suspense. Strindberg defines naturalism as art depicting the 
sensational. That his own experiences warped his ideals does 
not alter the truth of his reproduction of their sordidness and 
horror. He is chiefly concerned with the duel between man and 
woman and the influence of heredity and environment, favorite 
subjects of naturalist writers. The women of his plays are 
diabolic and almost inhuman but they are, nevertheless, convincing. 

First Paper. By.. 

Subject : Strindberg's Life and Works. 

a. Strindberg’s own experiences are the basis of his dramas. Discuss the 

effects on his work of his heredity and environment and the painful 
experiences of his married life. 

b. Consider briefly Strindberg’s early romantic and later symbolic plays. 

Study more closely his naturalistic dramas and their themes. 

Second Paper. By. 

S 

Subject: Naturalism. 

a. Show the difference between naturalism and realism in subject-matter 

and technique. Compare Ghosts with The Father. 

b. Discuss the artistic importance of this method, its faults. Does it 

really give an adequate picture of life? 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject: THE FATHER. 

1. Theme. The duel of the sexes and the kinship of love to hate is shown 
in its most aggravated form in this struggle of a woman to break 
the will of her husband. Discuss Strindberg’s war on feminism. 

19 







2. Characters. The Captain and Laura are abnormal portraits. Does 

Strindberg succeed in making them convincing? What impression 
does the final catastrophe make? Why? 

3. Structure. Show how the climax grows out of the struggle between 

Laura and The Captain. Where is the climax of the play? Notice 
the compactness of the picture presented and the economy used in 
the dialogue. The unity of place is observed and the time of the 
action is one day. 

4 . Read the end of Act II, the scene between The Captain and Laura. 

References: 

Lewisohn, The Modern Drama, 27-33. 

Chandler, Aspects of Modern Drama, 31-49, 294-306. 

Plays, translated by Edwin Bjorkman, contains an introduction on the 
life and work of Strindberg. 

The Father should be studied. 

Additional References : 

Clark, The Continental Drama of Today, 72-84. 

Henderson, European Dramatists, 3-72. 

Bjorkman, Edwin, August Strindberg, His Achievement. Forum 47, 1912: 
274-288. 

Hamilton, Clayton, Strindberg in America. Bookman 35, 1912: 358-365. 
Beyer, Thomas P., The Plays of Strindberg. Dial 54, 1913: 53-54. 


20 


FIFTH MEETING 


Date. Place. 

Topic: Naturalism in Germany: Hauptmann and Suder- 
mann Compared. 

The rise of naturalism in Germany brought out a new view 
of the artist’s relation to his art. The naturalistic creator must 
be passive and not obtrude his personality into the work but 
must depict life exactly. Therefore the technical rules of the 
drama came to be thrown aside and reproduction of the life 
itself came to be the ideal of the dramatist of this school. A 
conception of this tendency in German drama may be gained 
from contrasting the work of Hauptmann with that of Suder- 
mann. The Weavers of Hauptmann presents a powerful picture 
of the misery of the poor without attempting any interpretation. 
The Vale of Content, an example of Sudermann’s work, is more 
conclusive in its form and therefore more generally satisfying 
even if the technique must be described as conventional. 

First Paper. By..... 

Subject : Hauptmann as a Naturalistic Dramatist. 

a. Discuss the methods and aims of the naturalistic artist. Show how 

this tendency affected the German stage, illustrating from Haupt¬ 
mann’s plays. 

b. Note the romantic plays of Hauptmann. Outline briefly the subjects 

and treatment of his dramas. Study The Weavers as an example of 
his naturalism. How would Brieux have treated this subject? How 
is the work of the naturalistic school a reaction from the “thesis 
drama” ? 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject : THE WEAVERS. 

1. Theme. Can this play be said to have a theme or a plot? What is the 
dramatist striving to do and why must he keep from taking sides 
with either of the two opposing parties? 


21 






2. Characters. Consider the reality of the characters portrayed. Notice 

the minute details in the conversation and the exact reproduction 
of the dialogue. 

3. Structure. Notice how the dramatist shows the two opposing parties, 

Capital and Labor, and the faults of each, without definitely taking 
sides. The play begins and ends inconclusively. Discuss the artistic 
value of such a “cross-section of life.” 

4. Read the first act. 

Second Paper. By. 

Subject: Sudermann as a Popular Dramatist. 

a. Discuss Sudermann’s departure from the strict ideals of naturalism in a 

technique which is sometimes strained and theatrical. How does 
this affect his reputation among German critics? 

b. Contrast Sudermann’s technique in The Vale of Content with that of 

The Weavers, by Hauptmann. How does Sudermann follow the 
French “well-made” play from which the naturalist revolted? Three 
one-act plays of Sudermann give an idea of his choice of themes, 
Fritschen. Margot, and The Far-Away Princess. 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject: THE VALE OF CONTENT. 

1. Theme. Show how the central idea of the play leads naturally to an 

ending which, though not striking, is satisfying. 

2. Characters. Roecnitz and Wiedemann are strongly contrasted. Is the 

character of Wiedemann sufficiently strong to render convincing his 
final success in holding Elizabeth? Notice how skillfully Sudermann 
has portrayed Dr. Orb, a minor character. Contrast Elizabeth with 
Strindberg’s women? 

3. Structure. Notice how the play moves without striking scenes of con¬ 

flict but how the inner struggle of the characters is dramatically 
portrayed. Discuss the suspense obtained in the last act. Is it 
sufficient ? 

4. Read the last scene between Elizabeth and Wiedemann, Act III. 

References: 

Lewisohn, The Modern Drama, 103-135, 163-165. 

Chandler, Aspects of Modern Drama, 31-51, 113-116. 

The Weavers and The Vale of Content should be studied, also the one-act 
plays, Fritzchen, The Far-Away Princess and Margot. 


22 




Additional References : 

Clark, The Continental Drama of Today, 85-114. 

Hale, Dramatists of Today, 44-90. 

Heller, Studies in Modern German Literature, 1-117. 

Coar, Studies in German Literature in the Nineteenth Century. Chapter 
XII—“Socialism and the individual. The conflict between realism 
and idealism.” 

Becker, May L., Hauptmann, Realist and Idealist. Independent 73, 1912: 
1235-1238. 

Fischer, S., The Plays of Gerhart Hauptmann. Edinburgh Review 198, 
1903: 151-177. 

Coar, John Firman, Three Contemporary German Dramatists. Atlantic 
Monthly 81, 1898: 71-80. 

Grummann, Paul H., Gerhart Hauptmann. Poet Lore 22, 1911 : 117-127. 
Wiehr, Josef, The Naturalistic Plays of Gerhart Hauptmann. Journal of 
English and German Philology 6, 1916: 1-71, 531-575. 

Grummann, Paul H., Hermann Sudermann. Poet Lore 22, 1911: 195-211. 
Wells, Benjamin, Hermann Sudermann. Forum 26, 1898: 374-378. 

Von Wiedenbach, Ernst, Evolution of German Drama. Forum 25, 1898: 
374-384, 630-640. 


23 


SIXTH MEETING 


Date. Place. 

Topic: The Beginning of the English Stage of Today: 

Jones and Pinero. 

We find the English stage of the latter part of the nineteenth 
century concerned with imitations and adaptions from the French 
or with copies of the poetic drama of Elizabethan times. The 
work of Pinero and Jones is chiefly important as marking a 
departure from the artificial importations and the beginnings of a 
drama expressive of modern British life. This period of transition 
paved the way for the later realists and naturalists of England. 
Judged by their standards the plays of Pinero, Jones and Wilde 
have many faults. They are important as initiating a new move¬ 
ment in the English Theatre. Some understanding of the Vic¬ 
torian period is necessary. This was a time when “Feminism” 
was a new thing and “high society” artificial. The women por¬ 
trayed in the work of Pinero, Jones and Wilde must be judged 
in relation to their own period. 

First Paper. By.... 

Subject : The English Stage of the Nineteenth 
Century. 

a. A consideration of the disrepute of the stage in the early part of the 

century, the Puritanical ideas which forbade the theatre. The society 
of that time. 

b. The importations and adaptations from the French. Melodrama and 

farce. 

c. The work of the poetic dramatists, Tennyson and Browning. 

Second Paper. By.. 

Subject: The Work of Pinero and Jones. 

a. The subjects of their plays, a brief survey of their most important 

works as revealing the society and manners of that time. Compare 
with French well-made plays. Show the influence of Ibsen on 
their work. 

b. The technique of their work. Show the influence of the French theatre 

in the use of artificial contrivances. How did they improve on the 
24 






well-made plays in truth and dramatic power? Consider Jones’s one- 
act plays, Her Tongue, The Goal and Grace Mary, 
c. Discuss Michael and His Lost Angel and compare with The Second Mrs. 
Tanqueray from the point of view of technique. Which seems 
more sincere in his writings, Jones or Pinero? Why was The Second 
Mrs. Tanqueray called an epoch-making play? 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject: THE SECOND MRS. TANQUERAY. 

1. Theme. Notice the selection of events by which the author presents 

his theme, the impossibility of a woman’s escaping from her past. 
Would the ending bring out the theme more strikingly if Paula had 
not escaped from her life by suicide. Compare the ending of Iris. 

2. Characters. Is Paula strong enough to be a truly tragic character? 

Notice how Pinero contrasts Ellean with Paula. Is Aubrey strong 
enough to be convincing. Notice the eccentric characters, Sir George 
and Lady Orreyed, and the comedy element they introduce. 

3. Structure. Notice the exposition of the play, the economy of lines. 

There is little use of coincidence and artificial asides and soliloquies. 
Notice the dramatic effect of the opening of the second act which 
gives the whole situation between Aubrey and Paula in a sentence, 
“Exactly six minutes.” 

4 . Read the last act. 

References: 

Lewisohn, The Modern Drama, 166-189. 

Chandler, Aspects of Modern Drama, 153-158, 139-145, 180-191. 

The Second Mrs. Tanqueray and Michael and His Lost Angel should be 
studied. 

Iris, by Pinero, and three one-act plays by Jones, Her Tongue, The Goal, 
and Grace Mary, should be read. 

Additional References : 

Clark, The British and American Drama of Today, 3-46. 

Borsa, The English Stage of Today, 50-95. 

Dickinson, The Contemporary Drama of England, 1-132. 

Hale, Dramatists of Today, 91-111. 

Hamilton, edition of The Social Plays of Arthur Wing Pinero, edited 
with prefaces and an introduction. 


25 



Jones, Henry Arthur, Foundations for a National Drama, North American 
186, 1907: 384-393. 

Literature of the Modern Drama. Atlantic Monthly 98, 1906: 
796-807. 

Howells, W. D., The Plays of Mr. Henry Arthur Jones. North American 
186, 1907: 205-212. 

Dickinson, Thomas H., Henry Arthur Jones and the Dramatic Renaissance. 
North American 202, 1915: 757-768. 

Rideing, William H., Some Women of Pinero’s. North American 188, 
1908: 38-49. 


26 


SEVENTH MEETING 


Date. Place. 

Topic: Oscar Wilde, a Social Satirist. 

The plays of Oscar Wilde are good examples of the society 
comedies of that period. Wilde developed a distinctive style of 
his own, a style fitted to the artificiality of his characters and 
through his ridicule of society he accomplished much toward 
the breaking down of Victorian narrowness and affectation. Lady 
Windermere’s Fan is a comedy of serious theme, portrayed 
dramatically—in spite of the mechanical faults of the structure 
of the play, the use of soliloquies and coincidences. The Impor¬ 
tance of Being Earnest is perhaps the best modern example of a 
play which is pure farce, a true comedy of manners. 

First Paper. By. 

Subject : Oscar Wilde as a Dramatist. 

a. Give a brief description of his personality. His wit and charm fitted 

him for the society he describes. Discuss the artificial class dis¬ 
tinctions and foibles which Wilde made the target of his epigrams. 

b. Outline briefly his plays, the phases of English society depicted. Notice 

the technique used in the construction of the plots. The survival of 
mechanical contrivances was often successfully covered by Wilde’s 
witty dialogue. 

Second Paper. By. 

Subject : THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST : 
A Society Farce. 

a. Study the play for an appreciation of Wilde’s style. Notice his use of 

epigrams, the sparkling quality of the dialogue. 

b. As a drama built around what is little more than a pun, discuss the 

characterization and its value in the dramatic effectiveness of the 
play. 

c. Compare The Importance of Being Earnest with Lady Windermere's 

Fan. Was Wilde’s style better adapted to farce or comedy? What 
is the difference? 


l 


27 






Discussion. Led by. 


Subject: LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN. 

1. Theme. Has the playwright treated his theme seriously? What was 

Wilde’s purpose in ridiculing the Victorian way of classifying society 
into good and bad? How does the “happy ending” of Mrs. Erlynne’s 
plans affect our conception of the seriousness of the problem? 

2. Giaracters. Notice how Wilde uses the same types over and over again. 

Compare the Duchess of Berwick with Lady Bracknell in The Im¬ 
portance of Being Earnest. Mrs. Erlynne is the most prominent 
character creation in the play. Discuss her dual role of blackmailer 
and protecting mother. 

3. Structure. Note the use of asides, soliloquies and coincidences. Note 

especially how the whole play turns upon the soliloquy of Lady Win¬ 
dermere at her chance finding of the check book. Is the plot probable 
and convincing? Is the author successful in concealing any imper¬ 
fections in the structure by the compelling interest of the story? 
Contrast the technique of Wilde with that of the naturalist school, 
Strindberg, Hauptmann and Granville Barker. 

4. Read Act IV. 

References: 

Lewisohn, The Modern Drama, 189-192. 

Chandler, Aspects of Modern Drama, 135-138. 

Lady Windermere’s Fan and The Importance of Being Earnest should be 
studied. 

Additional References : 

Clark, The British and American Drama of Today, 47-62. 

Dickinson, The Contemporary Drama of England, 133-153. 

Henderson, European Dramatists, 253-320. 

Chesson, W. H., A Reminiscence of 1898. Bookman 34, 1911: 389-394. 
(Review) Placing Oscar Wilde in Literature. Current Literature 53, 1912: 
219-222. 


28 



EIGHTH MEETING 


Date. Place. 

Topic: George Bernard Shaw. 

Shaw’s work was made possible by the playwrights before 
him who had striven for the reorganization of the theatre and 
also for the readjustment of laws regulating the publishing of 
plays. Thus he found a channel for expression of even the most 
radical ideas. His dramas are plays of social criticism in that 
they strike at the fundamental moral ideas underlying the fabric 
of social institutions. He does not appeal to the emotions but to 
the reason through satire. His play, Candida, treats the “eternal 
triangle” in a new and unconventional but altogether sane manner. 
The characters in this play should be noted as among the most 
distinctively individual of all his creations, and not, as is some¬ 
times the case, mere mouthpieces for the expression of this play¬ 
wright’s own views. 

First Paper. By. 

Subject : Shaw’s Life and His Personality. 

a. The struggle of his early life and his success as a critic are the natural 

results of his decision that he is “normal” and those who are different 
“abnormal.” His work in criticism should be discussed, his socialism. 
Note the reception of his plays in America. 

b. Shaw was enabled to use the drama as a vehicle of expression because 

of the work of the playwrights before him. Discuss the radical 
nature of his views and their reception on the stage. Mrs. Warren’s 
Profession was censored. Many of his plays were presented originally 
in independent theatres. 

c. The reception of Shaw’s plays by the critics and his attitude toward 

their criticism. The revelation of his independence of character 
and thought. 

Second Paper. By. 

Subject : Shaw’s Plays as Expression of His Views. 

«. Shaw as a satirist seeks to arouse people to an intellectual examination 
of false ideas at the basis of society. Note his method, use of pre- 


29 






faces to his plays and long stage directions as well as long speeches, 
as means of expressing his personal views and provoking thought. 
The technique of his plays. 

b. Shaw’s theories of philosophy founded on science and the processes of 

nature. His faith in individualism and his views of the causes of 
social abuses as shown in many of his plays, especially Mrs. Warren’s 
Profession, Major Barbara, Widoivers’ Houses, and Man and Super¬ 
man. 

c. The variety of his subjects. His satire on the misconception of love 

and marriage. Does the tonic effect of his satire compensate for 
his extreme and sometimes conflicting theories? 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject: CANDIDA. 

1. Theme. A sane solution of the “eternal triangle.” The author shows 

that it is not the institution of marriage which holds the wife, but 
love and the need of her husband for her. Compare this treatment 
with Barrie’s in What Every Woman Knows, and with Sudermann’s 
The Vale of Content. Compare also the one-act play in which Shaw 
treats the “eternal triangle,” How He Lied to Her Husband. 

2. Characters. How far do the characters act as mouthpieces for Shaw’s 

opinions and how far are they individualized? Note the reality of 
the portraits. How do the stage directions help to give a clear 
picture of the characters? Compare Candida with Maggie in What 
Every Woman Knows. 

3. Structure. In its fundamental details show that the plot is the con¬ 

ventional one of the “eternal triangle.” Wherein has Shaw’s satire 
served to give it a new twist? Note the dramatic effectiveness of the 
play, the effective “curtains,” the use of suspense, and show that 
Shaw himself follows the general lines of the “ready-made” play 
here, even though he condemns the tricks of the theatre. 

4. Read the last act from the exit of Burgess. 

References : 

Lewisohn, The Modern Drama, 192-202. 

Chandler, Aspects of Modern Drama, 116-119, 398-421. 

Shaw’s Dramatic Opinions and Essays and prefaces to his plays should be 
read for an idea of his work as critic, also The Quintessence of lb sen- 
ism, by Shaw. 

Candida should be studied. 

Mrs. Warren’s Profession and Widowers’ Houses should be read and 
Shaw’s one-act plays, Press Cuttings and How He Lied to Her 
Husband. 


30 



Additional References : 

Clark, The British and American Drama of Today, 63-89. 

Dickinson, The Contemporary Drama of England, 154-204. 

Borsa, The English Stage of Today, 120-166. 

Hale, Dramatists of Today, 112-147. 

Henderson, European Dramatists, 323-361. 

George Bernard Shaw, His Life and Works. 

Burton, Bernard Shaw, the Man and the Mask. 

Chesterton, George Bernard Shaw. 

Bjorkman, E., Serious Bernard Shaw. Review of Reviews 43, 1911: 
425-429. 

Scott, Temple, Shaw, the Realizer of Ideals. Forum 45, 1911: 334-354. 
Hamilton, Clayton, Criticism and Creation in the Drama. Bookman 44, 
1913: 628-632. 


31 


NINTH MEETING 


Date.. Place.. 

Topic: The Independent Theatre Movement in Eng¬ 
land: Barker and Galsworthy. 

The repertory theatre has done for England what the Little 
Theatre movement aims to accomplish in America. The work 
of the organizers of the independent theatres opened the way 
for the presentation of plays which would never have found a 
place on the English commercial stage—such plays as Shaw’s 
Widowers’ Houses. Artists and writers were given an oppor¬ 
tunity to experiment and developed a tendency to “life-likeness,” 
a technique which aims at a complete picture of life, revolting 
completely from the emotionalism and artificial effects of the 
“well-made” play. Granville Barker, a producer of the repertory 
theatres as well as a writer, is an advocate of the extremes of 
naturalistic technique. The influence of Shaw is seen in the 
detailed dialogue but Barker goes farther and makes his characters 
speak exactly as in real life, portraying their intellectual activities 
in relation to a problem of modern life, such as the problem of 
sex in The Madras House. 

Galsworthy’s work is more effective. He succeeds in selecting 
intensely dramatic subjects and scenes of conflict which are at 
the same time realistic and powerful as drama. His play, Justice, 
led to the reform, of the penal system in England, not because 
the playwright was a propagandist, but because he presented the 
sordidness of conditions so forcibly as to arouse thought. Strife 
is an example of his unpartisan presentation of a problem. 

First Paper. By. 

Subject: The Naturalistic Drama in England. 

0. A survey of the forces which led to the new organization of the theatre 
and the rise of the repertory theatre. (Dickinson, The Contemporary 
Drama of England, 154-175.) Note the part of Barker in note¬ 
worthy producing, also Galsworthy’s connection with, the movement 
and the success of his plays in recent years in America. 
b. The new theories of the drama led to a revolt from old methods and a 
new aim, sincerity. (See Galsworthy’s statement in Lewisohn’s The 


32 





Modern Drama, 207-208.) Barker carried this ideal to an extreme 
in his technique. Compare the methods and aims of the naturalists 
in England with the work of Hauptmann and other naturalists in 
Europe, especially Tchekoff’s The Cherry Orchard. In this connection 
it may be interesting to note the same naturalistic tendencies in the 
work of such modern poets as Edgar Lee Masters. 
c. Discuss The Madras House as an example of the naturalistic presentation 
of an intellectual problem, that of the relation of the sexes. Com¬ 
pare the “thesis plays” of Brieux for the handling of the problems 
of sex. Barker states a problem but does not answer it. Compare 
Shaw’s characters who speak Shaw’s own opinions. What is your 
opinion of The Madras House as drama? 

Second Paper. By. . . 

Subject: The Work of Galsworthy. 

a. Review his plays and discuss their themes, the attempt to stimulate 

thought through the objective presentation of moral and social prob¬ 
lems, in which the author does not necessarily take sides. Why is 
such drama called “serious” and “intellectual”? 

b. In considering the technique of these plays compare Galsworthy’s Strife 

with Hauptmann’s The Weavers. In what respect is Galsworthy’s 
technique more effective than that of Barker in The Madras House? 
Is Galsworthy a naturalist in the strictest sense of the word, or 
is he a realist? 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject: STRIFE. 

1. Theme. Galsworthy presents without bias the greatest tragedy of any 

industrial conflict, the uselessness of the struggle which in the end 
results only in compromise and could have been avoided in the first 
place if both sides had conceded somewhat. How does the over¬ 
throw of the unyielding leaders of each faction in the play carry 
out this idea? Note how Galsworthy avoids taking sides and so 
provokes thought. 

2. Characters. Though the antagonists are really groups and not individuals 

notice how clearly the characters in each faction are depicted. They 
are human and so claim sympathy for each side. Discuss the charac¬ 
ters of John Anthony and David Roberts, the leaders of the opposing 
factions, Capital and Labor. 

3. Structure. Note the selection of dramatic situations, the restraint of the 

dialogue and the naturalness which makes the play seem a piece 
of life. Notice how Roberts and Anthony dominate the action and 
compare Strife with The Weavers in this respect. 

33 




4. Read the last part of Act II, Scene 2, for the speeches of Roberts and 
also read the end of the last act, from Anthony’s long speech. 

References: 

Lewisohn, The Modern Drama, 202-219. 

Chandler, Aspects of Modern Drama, 215-227, 306-312. 

Dickinson, The Contemporary Drama of England, 154-175, 205-224. 

Strife should be studied. 

The Madras House and Tchekoff’s The Cherry Orchard should be read. 
Additional References : 

Clark, The British and American Drama of Today, 90-96, 128-139. 
Henderson, European Dramatists, 365-395. 

Borsa, The English Stage of Today, 96-119. 

Moses, Montrose Playhouse Progress. Independent 82, 1915: 194-197. 
Barker, Granville, The■ Theatre : The Next Phase. Forum 44, 1910: 159-170. 
Howe, P. P., The Plays of Granville Barker. Fortnightly Review 100, 
1913: 476-487. 

"The Skin Game” — Galsworthy’s New Tragi-Comedy of Warring Social 
Forces. Current Opinion 69, 1920: 649-656. 


34 


TENTH MEETING 


Date. Place. 

Topic: Barrie and the Drama of Fantasy. 

Barrie has not allied himself with any radical movement but 
in his writing for the regular commercial stage he has achieved a 
distinctive literary style, insight into character, and imagination 
which rank him as one of the leading writers for the English 
stage. In his plays he has brought pathos and humor to his 
portrayal of character and touches all with a whimsical fancy 
and a charm of his own. Peter Pan is one of the dramatic 
classics of children which, like The Bluebird, is enjoyed by grown 
ups also for its quaint and original humor. What Every Woman 
Knows has been selected for study as an example of Barrie at 
his best in his understanding of the feminine, his revelation of 
the quaint in human nature, and his whimsical humor. The 
one-act plays of Barrie are especially popular in the Little Theatres 
of America and most of his plays have been successfully produced 
in this country. 

First Paper. By. 

Subject : The Work of Barrie. 

a. Discuss briefly his life and success as a novelist, the success of his plays 

on the stage in England and in America. The publishing of his plays. 

b. Review his long plays and their themes. Discuss Peter Pan, a play in 

which the spirit of fantasy found perfect medium for expression. 
Note the growing popularity of plays of fantasy in the Little Theatres 
of America. 

Second Paper. By. 

Subject : Barrie's Style. 

a. Note the use of stage directions and the instinct of the novelist in these 

explanations. Compare the directions of Shaw and Barker. 

b. In discussing Barrie’s long plays show how his unique individuality of 

style transforms even conventional themes into plays of distinctive 
charm. 

c. Discuss Barrie’s one-act plays and, if possible, read Rosalind or The 

Twelve Pound Look. 


35 






Discussion. Led by. 


Subject : WHAT EVERY WOMAN KNOWS. 

1. Theme. Notice how the whole play is based on a little feminine ‘‘notion.” 

Does Barrie seem prejudiced in favor of women? Do you think 
this type of play likely to live longer than a play of serious problems? 

2. Characters. Discuss the men in the play and the whimsical manner in 

which Maggie’s relatives are presented. Notice that the characters 
who take themselves so seriously are always humorous, while Maggie 
in her lightest speeches calls for sympathy. Discuss Barrie’s mixture 
of pathos and humor. Discuss his insight into character and his use 
of gentle satire, especially illustrated in the picture of Lady Sybil. 

3. Structure. Notice the long lapses of time in the play and the clever 

way in which Barrie builds up suspense to bridge over these gaps. 
Note the exposition of the play in Act I, the gradual revelation of 
Maggie’s real character throughout the play. How does the play¬ 
wright gain suspense at the end? 

4. Read Act IV. 

References: 

Dickinson, The Contemporary Drama of England, 230-240. 

Andrews, The Drama Today, 156-160. 

Borsa, The English Stage of Today, 67-72. 

Cheney, The New Movement in the Theatre, Chapters I and III. 

What Every Woman Knows should be studied. 

Half Hours and Echoes of the War contain one-act plays. Read as many 
of these as possible. 

Additional References : 

Clark, The British and American Drama of Today, 165-172. 

Williams, J. D., The Charm that is Barrie’s. Century 88, 1914: 801-814. 
Hamilton, Clayton, Criticism and Creation in the Drama. Bookman 44, 
1917: 628-632. 

Eaton, Walter Prichard, A Dramatist and a Dreamer. Bookman 48, 
1919: 765-768. 

Phelps, William Lyon, The Plays of J. M. Barrie. North American 212, 
1920: 829-843. 

“Mary Rose”—A Tragic Fantasy of Time. Current Opinion 69, 1920: 
63-65. 


36 



ELEVENTH MEETING 


Date. Place. 

Topic: Recent Romantic Drama: Maeterlinck and 
Rostand. 

Opposed to the drama of naturalism there sprung up abroad 
a school of romanticists who stood for idealism often carried into 
mysticism. Naturalism describes life as it is in fact. The “neo¬ 
romantics” strove for a vision of the greater meaning of life and 
all that makes it significant. This aim led to a mystic attitude 
and a use of symbolism to express the intangible. The work of 
Maeterlinck is an illustration of this method. Rostand is a poet 
whose work is romantic without being symbolic in any special 
sense, only as the romanticists always strive to interpret the un¬ 
seen beyond the world of reality. 

First Paper. By. 

Subject : Maeterlinck: A Mystic and Symbolist. 

a. The rise of “neo-romanticism” which strives after an interpretive philos¬ 

ophy of life. Contrast the aims of naturalism. The tendency in 
modern drama swings from one extreme to another. Notice that 
Hauptmann and Strindberg both began as romanticists and later 
wrote naturalistic drama. 

b. Symbolism in poetry and drama, shown especially in the work of Yeats. 

Maeterlinck’s use of old legend to symbolize the meaning of life. 
The atmosphere of his tragedies gives the feeling and mood of 
fatalism. Discuss his more mystic plays and their themes. 

c. Maeterlinck’s best known play, The Blue Bird. Its success because of 

the beauty of spectacle and appeal of the story. In The Betrothal he 
has cloaked his ideas less skillfully and the morals are more 
apparent. Discuss the theme of this play. 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject: PeLLeAS AND MeLISANDE. 

1. Theme. Does Maeterlinck strive to symbolize an idea or a mood in 
this play? What is the purpose of the various short scenes which 
do not further the action of the story, such as the first scene in 
the first act? How does this scene symbolize the situation at the 


37 






end of the play? Of what value is the atmosphere created by such 
a scene? Has the old legend sufficient story interest to hold the 
attention without the symbolic interest? 

2. Characters. Discuss them as types of romance rather than realistic 

people. How do the characters help to carry out the effects of un¬ 
reality and mystery? Notice the old king and his role of inter¬ 
preter and philosopher. 

3. Structure. Even though the outlines are shadowy and indefinite the 

play has a consistent plot, each incident furthering the story in a 
measure. Of what value are scenes of atmosphere which are not an 
integral part of the plot? Note how the dramatist depends upon 
the appeal to the eye for aid in setting the mood of the play, 
his settings of gloomy vaults and towers and his use of symbolic 
objects. Note the division of each act into several scenes. 

4. Read Act IV, Scene 4. 

Second Paper. By... 

Subject : The Work of Rostand. 

a. The French romantic dramatists. The work of Rostand as distinguished 

from that of the symbolists. 

b. A consideration of Rostand’s life and works. Discuss briefly the themes 

of his plays. 

c. Rostand’s technique differs from that of the symbolists. He depicts 

life truthfully though he sees and strives to interpret the inner 
meaning and therefore does not follow the realists. But he does 
not endeavor to interpret events in life as symbols of something 
mystic and hidden. Compare his work with that of Maeterlinck. 

Discussion. Led by. 

I 

Subject: CHANTACLER. 

1. Theme. This play has been variously interpreted as symbolizing differ¬ 

ent theories of modern life. Has the poet a single idea to impress 
or does he strive to interpret the meaning of life in a broader way? 
The attempt of the Pheasant Hen to win Chantacler from his mission 
has been taken as a fable on Feminism. Is it necessary to keep 
these allegories in mind for genuine enjoyment of the play? 

2. Characters. Note how the poet has blended the animal and human 

characteristics in his creations. What advantage does a romanticist 
find in the use of such a device in depicting universal types of 
humanity and not individuals? Note the satire on modern society, 
the treatments of the woman question. 


38 




3. Structure. Note the profusion of poetic description and the extravagance 

of language. Do you think the dramatic effect is retarded or enhanced 
by the lyric passages? 

4. Read Act IV, Scenes 6, 7, and 8, from the entrance of the Nightingale. 

References: 

Lewisohn, The Modern Drama, 220-247, 265-276. 

Chandler, Aspects of Modern Drama, 53-64, 70-89, 104-105. 

Pelleas and Melisande and Chantacler should be studied. 

The Betrothal and Cyrano de Bergerac should be read, also The Bluebird. 

Additional References : 

Hale, Dramatists of Today, 12-49, 174-217. 

Andrews, The Drama of Today, 184-194. 

Clark, The Continental Drama of Today. 

Henderson, European Dramatists, 199-249. 

Burton, Richard, Maeterlinck, a Dramatic Impressionist. Atlantic 74, 1894: 
672-680. 

Newman, Ernest, Maeterlinck and Music. Atlantic 88, 1901: 769-777. 

De Soissons, S. C., Maeterlinck as a Reformer of the Drama. Contem¬ 
porary Review 86, 1904: 699-708. 

Roper, Arthur E., Maeterlinck. Contemporary Review 77, 1900: 422-443. 
Lewisohn, E. L., M. Edmond Rostand. Nation 107, 1918: 769-770. 

Sheldon, Caroline, Rostand and Chantacler. Poet Lore 23, 1912 : 74-78. 
Soissons, Edmond Rostand. Contemporary Review 115, 1919: 188-195. 

Burr, Anna R., Edmond Rostand. North American Review 212, 1920: 
110-117. 

Phelps, William Lyon, Estimate of Maeterlinck. North American 213, 
1921: 98-108. 

Gilman, Lawrence, “The Betrothal”—a Fable for Lovers. North American 
209, 1919: 117-123. 

Maeterlinck’s New Plan for Picking a Wife. 

28-29. 


Literary Digest 59, 1918: 


TWELFTH MEETING 


Date. Place. 

Topic: The Irish Dramatic Movement: Yeats, Lady 
Gregory and Synge. 

The Irish National Theatre grew out of the Irish literary 
renaissance and under the leadership of Yeats and Lady Gregory 
it was established to be a medium for the production of a true 
folk-drama. The writers who contributed to the movement have 
created a distinctive dramatic literature, depicting faithfully the 
romance of their legends and the comedy and tragedy of the daily 
life of Irish folk. Using most often the one-act form, they 
have built small dramas so true to the life of their own people 
as to have universal human appeal. The work of Yeats is linked 
with that of the neo-romantic symbolists and mystics such as 
Maeterlinck. Yeats is primarily a poet but he has been a great 
power in the dramatic movement, with Lady Gregory who is 
exceedingly skillful in drawing the Irish peasant characters. 
Synge’s work makes the most powerful dramatic appeal for he 
is a realist who is interested not in ideas merely but in human 
life itself. 

First Paper. By.. 

< 

Subject: The Formation of the Irish National 
Theatre. 

a. The Irish literary renaissance and the Nationalist movement in politics. 

Show how the desire for a free Irish theatre grew out of these 
movements. Explain the opposition to the truthful presentation of 
Irish characters on the stage. Note the protest aroused by The 
Playboy of the Western World. 

b. A review of the progress of the Theatre from its beginning. The dis¬ 

tinctive characteristics of its organization, the acting and staging, 
the “amateur” qualities. Note the reception of the Irish Players in 
America and their influence on the Little Theatre movement. 

c. Discuss the Irish drama of recent years, especially the work of St. 

John Ervine and his recent success in America with Jane Clegg and 
John Ferguson. 


40 





Second Paper. 


By, 


Subject : The Work of Yeats, Lady Gregory and 
Synge. 

a. The work of Lady Gregory in collecting the folk-legends of Ireland and 

their use in the writing of romantic plays by Yeats and others. 
Discuss the interest in new dramatic forms influenced especially by 
Yeats’ work in poetry. Note the faults of his plays as acting 
pieces and compare the folk-comedies of Lady Gregory. What is 
the distinct achievement of Synge? 

b. Discuss The Hour Glass and The Rising of the Moon. What are the 

advantages of the one-act form? the disadvantages? Compare 
other one-act plays studied. 

c. Review the plays of Synge, his aim in presenting such characters as are 

found in The Tinker’s Wedding and In the Shadow of the Glen. 
Compare his plays with those of Lady Gregory and Yeats for com¬ 
pleteness and dramatic power. 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject : RIDERS TO THE SEA. 

1. Theme. Man’s defeat in the struggle against the forces of nature is 

shown here indirectly. Does this fact justify the criticism that a 
one-act tragedy is imperfect because it must show only the end of 
the conflict? What is your opinion of the play as a great tragedy? 

2. Characters. Note how, in portraying a simple Aran peasant mother and 

her children, Synge has pictured a tragedy that is universal as 
human life. Note the language of the play, the use of simple idiom 
and the economy of speech, the differentiation of the characters. 

3. Structure. This play has been called a perfect one-act tragedy. Note 

the skillful exposition of the story and the swift and inevitable 
movement of the action. 

4. Read the whole play if possible. 

References: 

Lewisohn, The Modern Drama, 264-276. 

Chandler, Aspects of Modern Drama, 233-267. 

Riders to the Sea should be studied. 

The Rising of the Moon, The Hour Glass, The Tinker’s Wedding, and 
In the Shadow of the Glen should be read, together with other one- 
act plays by Yeats, Lady Gregory and Synge, and of other playwrights 
of the Abbey Theatre. 


41 




Additional References : 

Andrews, The Drama of Today, 160-168. 

Borsa, The English Stage of Today, 286-314. 

Clark, The British and American Drama of Today, 181-207. 

Elton, Modern Studies, 285-320. 

Boyd, The Contemporary Drama of Ireland. 

Weygandt, Irish Plays and Playwrights. 

Bickley, I. M. Synge and the Irish Dramatic Movement. 

Bourgeois, John M. Synge and the Irish Theatre. 

Yeats, The Cutting of an Agate. 

Synge’s prefaces to The Tinker’s Wedding and The Playboy of the Western 
World. 

Gregory, Lady, The Irish Theatre and the People. Yale Review 1, 1912: 
188-191. 

Colum, Padraic, Lady Gregory and the Irish Literary Movement. Forum 
53, 1915: 133-148. 

Quinn, John, Lady Gregory and the Abbey Theatre. Outlook 99, 1911: 
916-919. 

Bennett, Charles A., The Plays of John M. Synge. Yale Review 1, 1912: 
192-205. 

Blake, Warren B., John Synge and His Plays. Dial 50, 1911: 37-41. 
Tennyson, Charles, The Rise of the Irish Theatre. Contemporary Review 
100,1911:240-247. 

Figgis, Darrell, The Art of J. M. Synge. Fortnightly Review 96, 1911: 
1056-1065. 


42 


THIRTEENTH MEETING 


Date. Place. 

Topic: Two American Playwrights, William Vaughn 
Moody and Percy MacKaye. 

True American drama came into existence when our play¬ 
wrights began to realize the wealth of native material and to 
break away from imitations of English and French models. Study 
the drama which preceded William Vaughn Moody’s The Great 
Divide to understand why this play was hailed as a “great Ameri¬ 
can drama.” Moody endeavored to interpret the clash of tradi¬ 
tions which have gone to make the nation. Percy MacKaye in 
The Scarecrow, has sought to dramatize a story of the beliefs of 
the people of Old Salem, and to give to it a wider and more 
universal interpretation. This leads him into sacrificing dramatic 
for literary values at times, but his achievement marks an im¬ 
portant point in the formation of a native drama. These two 
plays should be compared with The Truth and The Witching 
Hour as regards dramatic effectiveness and truthful interpreta¬ 
tion of character. 

First Paper. By...:. 

Subject : William Vaughn Moody and His Place in 
American Drama. 

a. A short review of the early American drama—the work of Boker, 

Boucicault, and Steele MacKaye leading to the beginnings of real 
American drama with Bronson Howard. 

b. The drama of later writers. Gillette, Fitch, and Augustus Thomas 

wrote plays which have been termed “journalistic” because of over¬ 
emphasis of the story and effective “punch” which resulted in a 
lack of psychological interpretation of character. Note these faults 
in The Truth, by Clyde Fitch, and The Witching Hour, by Augustus 
Thomas. Compare The Great Divide. 

c. Give a brief summary of Moody’s work. Show how his plays were 

enriched by his poetical gifts. How was The Faith Healer impaired 
dramatically by over-emphasis of the poetical and philosophical? 
Note the interpretation of character in The Great Divide and show 
the significance of this play as genuine American Drama. 


43 





Discussion. Led by. 

Subject: THE GREAT DIVIDE. 

1. Theme. The clash between the free rough West and the Puritanism of 

New England morality is a real American problem. Does the play 
illustrate an underlying unity in American life? Does the happy 
ending seem illogical? 

2. Characters. Compare the characterization in this play with that in 

The Truth and The Witching Hour. Note especially the character 
of Ruth and how in her inner struggle the playwright has shown 
the psychology of the West and of Eastern America. 

3. Structure. The climax of the play comes in the first act, making it 

difficult for the dramatist to sustain interest at the end. Does he 
succeed in doing this? Is there sufficient suspense at the end of 
the second act to make the final action effective? 

4. Read the scene between Ruth and Ghent in Act I and in Act III. 

Second Paper. By. 

Subject: Percy Mackaye, an American Dramatist of 
Today. 

a. His life and training for play writing. A short review of his plays 

and their reception on the stage. Note the detached and over¬ 
literary style which mars the dramatic effectiveness of most of his 
plays. 

b. His theory of drama. (See The Civic Theatre, by MacKaye or his 

articles on the subject.) Discuss the work he has done in Pageantry 
and the aims which inspire him. 

* 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject: THE SCARECROW. 

1. Theme. Note the use of fantasy and allegory to impress the central 

idea. The theme is universal, that of the uplifting power of love 
which in the end turns a scarecrow into a man. Yet the play is 
distinctly local, that is, the New England atmosphere is an essential 
part of the play. How do these two characteristics make for perma¬ 
nent value? 

2. Characters. Note their individuality and the clearness with which 

the writer has drawn them. Note, too, the Yankee aspect which 
Dickon and the hero wear. Does the conversation ever become 
literary ? 


44 





3. Structure. Note the observation of the unity of time. The development 

of the plot to a climax clarifies the theme of the play. Do the 
second and third acts build up consistently to the end? 

4. Read Act IV. 

References : 

Clark, The British and American Drama of Today, 258-268. 

Cheney, The New Movement in the Theatre, 91-203. 

Burton, The New American Drama, 48-117, 154-162. 

Andrews, The Drama of Today, 61-104. 

MacKaye, The Civic Theatre. 

Manly, introduction to collected Poems and Plays by William Vaughn 
Moody. 

MacKaye, introduction to The Scarecrow (Macmillan edition.) 

The Great Divide and The Scarecrozv should be studied. 

The Truth and The Witching Hour should be read. 

Additional References : 

MacKaye, Self-Expression and the American Drama. North American 
188, 1918: 404-410. 


45 


FOURTEENTH MEETING 


Date. Place. 

Topic: The Little Theatre Movement in America and 
the Work of Eugene O’Neill. 

The Little Theatres in America are doing work along the 
same lines as that of the Independent Theatres in England. Many 
of the groups are made up of amateurs or professionals who 
find here a means of experimenting with new effects in stage¬ 
craft and new forms of drama. These small theatres not only 
produce repertoire of established stage successes but they are 
able to try out the work of new writers without the great financial 
risk attendant upon a production in New York. Many of our 
present day dramatists have received their training and first 
encouragement in just such groups. The Provincetown Players 
is one of the best known of the Little Theatre groups and has 
made possible the production of the plays of Eugene O’Neill and 
their success in New York. A serious consideration of the signifi¬ 
cance of the work of O’Neill is important for an understanding 
of the drama in America today. 


First Paper. By. 

Subject : The Work of the Little Theatres. 

a. The need for the experimental theatre. The commercialism of the 

New York stage. The Little Theatre in New York. The effects 
of the work of the art theatres on the standard of dramatic pro¬ 
duction in professional theatres. The Little Theatre as a self- 
supporting institution. 

b. The work of the Little Theatres—experimental groups which work out 

new art effects and new types of plays. The work of the Univer¬ 
sities in this line. The new stagecraft, scenery and lighting develop¬ 
ments. 

c. The writers who have received their first encouragement through the 

independent and experimental groups. 


46 





Second Paper. By 


Subjects The Provinceton Players and Eugene 
O’Neill. 

a. The organization and work of the Provincetown Players. A consider¬ 

ation of their one-act plays and the writers who have found means 
of expression through this group. 

b. The life of Eugene O’Neill, his writings and the production of his 

one-act plays by the Provincetown Players. 

c. Beyond the Horizon. The method followed in introducing this play 

on Broadway. Its success and the award of the Pulitzer prize to 
O’Neill. Review, also, O’Neill’s recent plays, especially The Emperor 
Jones. Notice the unusual technique of this play. 

Discussion. Led by. 

Subject: BEYOND THE HORIZON. 

1. Theme. Note how the idea of the play is revealed through the action, 

as the full tragedy of the mistake of the brothers unfolds. This 
tragedy is a folk-play. What is the appeal and how significant is it? 

2. Characters. Note the character development, the changes wrought by 

years of struggle under conditions to which the brothers were not 
suited. Is this development consistent? Discuss the portrayal of the 
character of Ruth. 

3. Structure. Note the division of each act into two scenes. Is this 

effective? Note the lapse of time between each act. Discuss 
the technique of the last scene of the play. 

4. Read Act II, Scene 1, from the entrance of Robert. 

References—The Little Theatre Movement: 

Cheney, The New Movement in the Theatre. 

The Art Theatre. 

Dickinson, The Insurgent Theatre. 

Phelps, The Twentieth Century Theatre, Chapter III. 

Mackay, The Little Theatre in the United States. 

Burleigh, The Community Theatre, Chapter IV. 

Andrews, The Drama of Today, Chapter VI. 

Moderwell, The Theatre of Today. 

Little Theatres. Nation 108, 1919 : 702-703. 

Our Little Theatre Movement Has a Meaning All Its Own. Current 
Opinion 66, 1919: 372. 

Walker, Stuart, The Successful Experimental Theatre. Drama League 
Monthly II, 8, 1918. 


47 




References—Eugene O’Neill : 

Eaton, Walter Prichard, Eugene O’Neill. Theatre Arts Magazine 4, 
1920: 286-289. 

“Beyond the Horizon.” 

Literary Digest 64, 1920: 33. 

Nation 110, 1920: 241-242. 

Current Opinion 68, 1920: 339-344. 

Everybody’s 43, 1920: 49. 

Woollcott, Alexander, The Coming of Eugene O’Neill. New York Times, 
February 8, 1920, VIII, 2. 

Eugene O’Neill’s Tragedy. New York Times, February 4, 1920, 12. 

Beyond the Horizon Established. New York Times, March 10, 
1920, 9. 

The Special Matinee. New York Times, March 14, 1920, V, 5. 

O’Neill, Eugene, Letter on The Writing of “Beyond the Horizon.” New 
York Times, April 11, 1920, VI. 2. 

The Emperor Jones, printed in Theatre Arts Magazine 5, 1921 : 29-59. 

Review of The Emperor Jones. Outlook 126, 1920: 710-711. Current 
Opinion 70, 1921: 55-64. 

Beyond the Horizon should be studied. 

The one-act plays in The Moon of the Caribbees should be read, with some 
recent one-act pieces of other authors. 


48 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


i 

A LIST OF PLAYS FOR STUDY 

Most of the following plays are not contained in the collection, Chief 
Contemporary Dramatists. Some are recommended for the valuable intro¬ 
ductory matter. Cheap acting editions of the plays starred may be obtained 
from Walter H. Baker and Company. 

Ibsen, *A Doll’s House, *Ghosts. Volume VII of edition edited with intro¬ 
ductions by William Archer. Scribner. $2.00. 

Bjornson, Plays, (First Series). The Gauntlet, Beyond Our Power, The 
New System. Translated with an introduction by Edwin Bjork- 
man. Scribner. $2.50. 

Brieux, Three Plays by Brieux, Maternity, The Three Daughters of M. 
Dupont, Damaged Goods. Preface by George Bernard Shaw. 
Brentano’s. $2.25. 

Strindberg, Plays, (First Series). Translated with an introduction by 
Edwin Bjorkman. Scribner. $2.50. 

Sudermann, Morituri, containing Teja, Fritschen, The Eternal Masculine. 
Translated by Archibald Alexander. Scribner. $2.00. 

Roses, containing Streaks of Lights, The Last Visit, Margot, *The 
Far-Away Princess. Translated by Grace Frank. Scribner. $2.00. 
Pinero, The Social Plays of Arthur Wing Pinero. Edited with prefaces 
by Clayton Hamilton. Volume II contains *Iris and *The Gay 
Lord Quex. Dutton. $3.50. 

Jones, The Theatre of Ideas, containing The Goal, Her Tongue, Grace 
Mary. Doran. $1.25. 

Wilde, *The Importance of Being Earnest. Baker. $ .60. 

Shaw, Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant, with prefaces. Volume I, *Widower’s 
Houses, *The Philanderer, *Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Volume II, 
*Arms and the Man, *You Never Can Tell, *The Man of Destiny, 
*Candida. Brentano’s. $2.50 each volume. 

Press Cuttings. Brentano’s. $ .75. 

Hove He Lied to Her Husband with The Man of Destiny. Brentano’s. 
$ .75. 

Barrie, What Every Woman Knoivs. Scribner. $1.50. 

Half Hours. Scribner. $1.75. 

Echoes of the War. Scribner. $1.75. 

Rostand, Chantacler. Translated by Gertrude Hall. Duffield. $1.50. 

*Cyrano de Bergerac. Translated by Gertrude Hall. Doubleday. $1.00. 
Maeterlinck, The Bluebird. Dodd, Mead. $2.00. 

The Betrothal. Dodd, Meade. $2.00. 


49 


Synge, In the Shadow of the Glen. Luce. $ .75. 

The Tinker’s Wedding. Luce. $ .75. 

The Playboy of the Western World. Luce. $ .75. 

Yeats, The Hour Glass, Cathleen ni Houlihan, A Pot of Broth. Macmillan. 

$ 2 . 00 . 

*The Land of Heart’s Desire. Baker. $ .35. 

Lady Gregory, New Comedies. Putnam. $2.00. 

Seven Short Plays. Putnam. $2.00. 

MacKaye, The Scarecrow. Macmillan. $1.50. 

Moody, Poems and Plays. With an introduction by John Manly. 2 
volumes. Houghton. $2.50 each volume. 

O’Neill, The Moon of the Caribbecs. Boni and Liveright. $1.75. 

Beyond the Horizon. Boni and Liveright. $1.75. 

Representative One-Act Plays by American Authors. Edited by Margaret 
Mayorga. Little, Brown. $3.25. 

Chief Contemporary Dramatists, by Thomas H. Dickinson, contains the 
following plays: *Lady Windermere’s Fan, by Wilde; *The Second 
Airs. Tanqueray, by Pinero; Michael and His Lost Angel, by 
Jones; Strife, by Galsworthy; The Madras House, by Barker; The 
Hour-Glass, by Yeats; *Riders to the Sea, by Synge; The Rising 
of the Moon, by Lady Gregory; *The Truth, by Fitch; The Great 
Divide, by Moody; *The Witching Hour, by Thomas; The Scare¬ 
crow, by MacKaye; The Weavers, by Hauptmann; The Vale of 
Content, by Sudermann; The Red Robe, by Brieux; Know Thyself, 
by Hervieu; Pelleas and Melisande, by Maeterlinck; Beyond Hu¬ 
man Power, by Bjornson; The Father, by Strindberg; The Cherry 
Orchard, by Tchekoff. 

II 

Reference Books—Criticism 

Andrews, Charlton, The Drama Today. Lippincott. $2.50. 

Archer, William, Play-Making. Small, Maynard. $2.00. 

Bickley, Francis, /. M. Synge and the Irish Dramatic Movement. Houghton 
Mifflin. $ .75. 

Borsa, Mario, The English Stage of Today. Lane, London. $2.50. 

Bourgeois, Maurice, John Millington Synge and the Irish Theatre. Mac¬ 
millan. $3.00. 

Boyd, Ernest A., The Contemporary Drama of Ireland. Little, Brown. 
$1.75. 

Burleigh, Louise, The Community Theatre in Theory and Practice. Little, 
Brown. $1.75. 

Burton, Richard, Bernard Shaw, The Man and the Mask. Holt. $1.75. 

The New American Drama. Crowell. $1.25. 

Brandes, Georg, Henrik Ibsen, Bjornsterne Bjornson, Critical Studies. 
Heinemann, London. 


50 


Carter, Huntly, The Theatre of Max Reinhardt. Kennerley. $2.50. 
Chandler, F. W., Aspects of Modern Drama. Macmillan. $2.50. 

Cheney, Sheldon, The Art Theatre. Knopf. $2.00. 

The New Movement in the Theatre. Kennerley. $2.00. 

Chesterton, Gilbert K., George Bernard Shaw. Lane. $1.50. 

Clark, Barrett H., The British and American Drama of Today. Holt. 

$ 2 . 00 . 

The Continental Drama of Today. Holt, $2.00. 

Coar, J. F., Studies in German Literature in the Nineteenth Century. 
Macmillan. $3.00. 

Dickinson, Thomas H., The Case of American Drama. Houghton Mifflin. 
$2.50. 

The Contemporary Drama of England. Little, Brown. $1.75. 

The Insurgent Theatre. Huebsch. $1.25. 

Elton, Oliver, Modern Studies. Longmans. $2.75. 

Gosse, Edmund, Henrik Ibsen. Scribner. $1.50. 

Hale, E. E., Jr., Dramatists of Today. Holt. $1.75. 

Heller, Otto, Studies in Modern German Literature. Ginn. $1.50. 
Henderson, Archibald, European Dramatists. Stewart and Kidd. $3.00. 
George Bernard Shaw—His Life and Works. Boni and Liveright. 
$2.50. 

Letters of Henrik Ibsen (translated by Laurvik and Morison). Fox, 
Duffield. $2.50. 

Lewisohn, Ludwig, The Modern Drama. Huebsch. $1.50. 

MacKaye, P., The Civic Theatre. Kennerley. $1.50. 

Mackay, Constance D’Arcy, The Little Theatre in the United States. 
Holt. $2.00. 

Moses, Montrose, J., The American Dramatist. Little, Brown. $2.50. 
Phelps, William Lyon, The Twentieth Century Theatre. Macmillan. $1.50. 
Shaw, George Bernard, Dramatic Opinions and Essays, (2 volumes). 
Brentano’s. $4.50 net. 

The Quintessence of Ibsenism. Brentano’s. $1.75. 

Weygandt, Cornelius, Irish Plays and Playwrights. Houghton Mifflin. 
$3.00. 

Yeats, William Butler, The Cutting of an Agate. Macmillan. $2.00. 

Ill 

General Reference Books 

The books mentioned below are valuable as general works on the 
Drama. They are not referred to in the Study Course but are recom¬ 
mended for use in a thorough study of Modern Drama. 

Baker, George P., Dramatic Technique. Houghton. $3.50. 


51 


Clark, Barrett, European Theories of the Drama. Stewart and Kidd. 
$5.00. 

Hamilton, Clayton, Problems of the Playzvright. Holt. $1.75. 

Studies in Stage Craft. Holt. $1.75. 

The Theory of the Theatre. Holt. $1.75. 

Henderson, Archibald, The Changing Drama. Holt. $1.50. 

Interpreters of Life and the Modern Spirit. Kennerley. $1.50. 
Andrews, Charlton, The Technique of Play Writing. Home Correspon¬ 
dence School. $1.50. 

Rolland, Romain, The People’s Theatre. Holt. $1.35. 

Meredith, George, Essay on Comedy and the Uses of the Comic Spirit. 
Modern Drama and Opera, Reading Lists on the Works of Various Authors. 
The Boston Book Company. 

Matthews, Brander, A Study of the Drama. Houghton. $2.00. 

Crawford, M. C., The Romance of the American Theatre. Little, Brown. 
$3.00. 

Moderwell, H. K., The Theatre of Today. John Lane. $1.50. 

PERIODICALS 

The following periodicals will be found useful: 

The Drama, published by the Drama League of America. 

The Theatre Arts Magazine, especially concerned with the arts of the drama. 
The Theatre Magazine, treating the doings of the commercial theatre, 
amateur groups and moving picture production. 

IV 

A SELECTED READING LIST OF PLAYS 

The plays starred are one-act pieces. A program of short plays may 
be selected for performance from this list. 

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906). 

1854 Lady Inger of Ostraat. 

1855 The Feast at Solhoug. 

1857 The Vikings of Helgoland. 

1862 The Comedy of Love. 

1863 The Pretenders. 

1865 Brand. 

1867 Peer Gynt. 

1868 The League of Youth. 

1873 Emperor and Galilean. 

1877 The Pillars of Society. 

1879 A Doll’s House. 

1881 Ghosts. 

1882 An Enemy of the People. 

1884 The Wild Duck. 

1886 Rosmerholm. 


52 


1888 The Lady from the Sea. 

1890 Hedda Gahler. 

1892 The Master Builder. 

1894 Little Eyolf. 

1896 John Gabriel Borkman. 

1899 When We Dead Awaken. 

Bjornstjerne Bjornson (1832-1910). 

1874 The Editor. 

1875 The Bankrupt. 

1877 The King. 

1879 The New System. 

1883 The Gauntlet. 

1883 Beyond Human Power. 

Paul Hervxeu (1857-1915). 

1901 The Trail of the Torch. 

1905 Modesty. 

1909 Know Thyself. 

Eugene Brieux (1858-). 

1890 Artists’ Families. 

1897 The Three Daughters of Monsieur Dupont. 

1900 The Red Robe. 

1901 Damaged Goods. 

1903 Maternity. 

August Strindberg (1849-1912). 

1883 Lucky Pehr. 

1887 The Father. 

1888 Countess Julie. 

1890 *The Outlaw. 

1890 *The Stronger. 

1897 *The Link. 

1901 The Dance of Death. 

1902 The Dream Play. 

Gerhart Hauptmann (1862-). 

1891 Lonely Lives. 

1893 The Weavers. 

1893 The Assumption of Hannele. 

1896 The Sunken Bell. 

1898 Drayman Henschel. 

Hermann Sudermann (1857-). 

1893 Magda. 

1895 The Vale of Content. 

1896 *Teja. 

*Fritchen. 

*The Eternal Masculine. 


53 


1900 The Fires of Saint John. 

1902 The Joy of Living. 

1907 *The Last Visit. 

*Streaks of Light. 

*Margot. 

*The Far-Away Princess. 

Henry Arthur Jones (1851-). 

1884 Saints and Sinners. 

1889 The Middleman. 

1896 The Rogue’s Comedy. 

1896 Michael and His Lost Angel. 

189 7 The Liars. 

1898 The Manoeuvres of Jane. 

1900 Mrs. Dane’s Defence. 

1913 The Divine Gift. 

1913 Mary Goes First. 

1915 *The Goal. 

*Her Tongue. 

* Grace Mary. 

Arthur Wing Pinero (1855-). 

1885 The Magistrate. 

1886 The Schoolmistress. 

1887 Dandy Dick. 

1888 Sweet Lavendar. 

1891 The Times. 

1893 The A masons. 

1893 The Second Mrs. Tanqueray. 

1895 The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith. 

1898 Trelawny of the "Wells”. 

1899 The Gay Lord Quex. 

1901 Iris. 

1903 Letty. 

1906 His House in Order. 

1908 The Thunderbolt. 

1909 Midchannel. 

1913 * Playgoers. 

Oscar Wilde (1856-1900). 

1883 Vera. 

1883 The Duchess of Padua. 

1892 Lady Windermere’s Fan. 

1893 A Woman of No Importance. 

1895 An Ideal Husband. 

1895 Salome. 

1895 The Importance of Being Earnest. 
George Bernard Shaw (1856-). 

1892 Widowers’ Houses. 

1892 The Philanderer. 


54 


1894 Arms and the Man. 

1897 Candida. 

1897 The Devil’s Disciple. 

1897 *The Man of Destiny. 

1900 Yon Never Can Tell. 

1900 Captain Brassbonnd’s Conversion. 

1902 Mrs. Warrens Profession. 

1903 John Bull’s Other Island. 

1904 *How He Lied to Her Husband. 

1905 Man and Superman. 

1905 Major Barbara. 

1906 The Doctor’s Dilemma. 

1906 Caesar and Cleopatra. 

1908 Getting Married. 

1909 *Press Cuttings. 

1909 The Shewing-Up of Blanco Posnet. 

1910 Misalliance. 

1911 Fanny’s First Play. 

1911 *The Dark Lady of the Sonnets. 

1912 Androcles and the Lion. 

1913 * Overruled. 

1913 Pygmalion. 

1916 The Great Catherine. 

1918 Heartbreak House. 

*0’Flaherty. 

*The Inca of Perusalem. 

*Augustus Does His Bit. 

*Annajanska, the Bolshevik Empress. 

Harley Granville Barker (1877-). 


1902 

The Marrying of Ann Leete. 

1905 

The Voysey Inheritance. 


1906 

Prunella (with Laurence 

Housman). 

1907 

Waste. 


1910 

The Madras House. 


1913 

The Harlequinade (with 

Dion Calthrop) 

Galsworthy (1867-). 


1906 

The Silver Box. 


1907 

Joy. 


1909 

Strife. 


1909 

The Eldest Son. 


1910 

Justice. 


1911 

*The Little Dream. 


1912 

The Pigeon. 


1913 

The Fugitive. 


1914 

The Mob. 


1920 

A Bit o’ Love. 

The Foundations. 

The Skin Game. 



55 



James Matthew Barrie (I860-). 

1903 Quality Street. 

1903 The Admirable Crichton. 

1905 Alice-Sit-By-the-Fire. 

1905 * Pantaloon. 

1908 What Every Woman Knows. 

1910 *The 7'wclve Pound Look. 

1912 *Rosalind. 

1914 *The Will. 

1916 A Kiss for Cinderella. 

1919 *Tlie Old Lady Shows Her Medals. 
*Th: New Word. 

* Barbara’s Wedding. 

*A Well-Remembered Voice. 

Maurice Maeterlink (1862). 

1890 Princess Maleine. 

1891 *Thc Intruder. 

1891 *The Blind. 

1893 *The Seven Princesses. 

1893 Pelleas and Melisande. 

1895 *The Interior. 

1896 Alladine and Palomides. 

1899 The Death of Tintagiles. 

1902 Monna Vanna. 

1908 The Blue Bird. 

1910 Mary Magdelene. 

1917 *A Miracle of Saint Antony. 

1918 The Burgomaster of Stilemonde. 
1918 The Betrothal. 

Edmond Rostand (1868-). 

1894 The Romancers. 

1897 Cyrano de Bergerac. 

1900 L’Aiglon. 

1910 Chantacler. 

William Butler Yeats (1865-). 

1894 *The Land of Heart’s Desire. 

1899 The Countess Cathleen. 

1902 *Cathleen ni Houlihan. 

1902 *A Pot of Broth. 

1903 *The Hour Glass. 

1903 *The King’s Threshold. 

1904 *The Shadozvy Waters. 

1904 *On Baile’s Strand. 

1906 *Deirdre. 

1910 *The Green Helmet. 


56 


John Millington Synge (1871-1909). 

1903 *In the Shadow of the Glen. 

1904 * Riders to the Sea. 

1905 The Well of the Saints. 

1907 The Playboy of the Western World. 
1909 The Tinker’s Wedding. 

1909 Deirdre of the Sorroivs. 

Isabel Augusta Gregory (1859-). 

1904 * Spreading the News. 

1905 The White Cockade. 

1905 Kincora. 

1906 * Hyacinth Halvey. 

1906 *The Gaol Gate. 

1906 The Canavans. 

1906 Grania. 

1907 *The Jackdaw. 

1907 *The Rising of the Moon. 

1907 *Devorgilla. 

1908 *Thc Workhouse Ward. 

1910 *The Travelling Man. 

1910 *The Full Moon. 

1910 *Coats. 

1911 *The Deliverer. 

1912 Darner’s Gold. 

1912 *McDonough’s Wife. 

1912 *The Bogie Men. 

William Vaughn Moody (1869-1910). 

1906 The Great Divide. 

1909 The Faith Healer. 

Percy MacKaye (1875-). 

1903 The Canterbury Pilgrims. 

1908 The Scarecrow. 

1911 *Chuck. 

*Gettysburg. 

*The Antick. 

*The Cat-Boat. 

*Sam Average. 

1913 Tomorrow. 

1914 A Thousand Years Ago. 

1914 Saint Louis. 

1914 Sanctuary. 

1917 The Evergreen Tree. 

1918 Jeanne D’Arc. 

1919 Washington, The Man Who Made Us. 

1919 The Will of Song. 

1920 The Pilgrim and the Book. 

57 


Eugene O’Neill (1888-). 

1914 *Thirst. 

'The Web. 

*Warnings. 

*Fog. 

* Recklessness. 

1918 *The Moon of the Caribbees. 
* Bound East for Cardiff. 
*The Long Voyage Home. 
*In the Zone. 

*Ile. 

*Where the Cross is Made. 
*The Rope. 

1920 Beyond the Horizon. 


58 


A STUDY COURSE IN THE MODERN DRAMA 


TERMS FOR THE COURSE 

The course is based on plays contained in Dickinson’s Chief 
Contemporary Dramatists with several separate plays which are 
not included in this collection. For reference books throughout 
the course, Chandler’s Aspects of Modern Drama and Lewisohn’s 
The Modern Drama are to be used. For a fee of $10.00 ten 
copies of the Study Course and the three books mentioned above 
will be furnished. The other books may be borrowed from the 
University Library. 

Additional copies of the Study Course may be purchased for 
$0.50. The price of Chief Contemporary Dramatists is $3.75, 
The Modern Drama, $1.50, and Aspects of Modern Drama, $2.50. 

THE LOAN OF BOOKS 

Books and other material for this course will be loaned by the 
Bureau of Extension upon the following terms: The club must 
first register and pay the required fee. Requisition blanks for 
reference books will be sent to the secretary of each club. These 
must be filled out and returned when material is needed. 

The secretary should order the books at least two weeks be¬ 
fore they are to be used. Requests for books by return mail will 
be attended to, but no guarantee is made that they will reach 
their destination in time to be of use. 

Books and other material must be returned in two weeks 
from the date they are issued, which is stamped on the book 
pocket on the first page of the book. The club is subject to a 
fine of five cents a day on each package of books kept over two 
weeks. Upon request, the time on books will be extended one 
week. 

Transportation charges both ways are borne by the club. 
This may be reduced if material for each meeting is sent to one 
person rather than to each person on the program. 

Address all correspondence concerning this program to: 

Women’s Clubs Division, 
Bureau of Extension, 
University of North Carolina, 
Chapel Hill, N. C. 







CLUB MEMBERS 















































































































